


Loss

by ablackberrywinter



Category: Nancy Drew – HER Interactive (Video Games)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-21
Updated: 2013-08-21
Packaged: 2017-12-24 05:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/935689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ablackberrywinter/pseuds/ablackberrywinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank and Nancy are waiting in the hospital after Joe has been hurt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loss

“Doctor Smith to the ER immediately!” The voice chirped out of the loudspeaker.  
Nancy winced, rubbing her temples. She could feel a dull headache coming on. She turned to Frank. He looked like death warmed up. Pale, and staring unfocused, he was jiggling one of his legs.  
Nancy covered Frank’s hand with hers. “It’ll be ok.”  
Frank nodded, but Nancy knew he didn’t believe her. Or perhaps he wasn’t even listening to her. 

It had all happened so quickly. They’d been running in a dark tunnel only an hour earlier. Joe had taken the lead, confident they would find Jack Louse – The notorious murderer – quickly. The police weren’t far behind; Frank had made sure of that. Nancy and Frank had run behind Joe. When they finally found Jack, panting, leaning against a brick wall, they’d been jubilant. Now, they could get him into jail, where he belonged. The good cheer had not lasted long. Before Joe was able to slap the handcuffs onto him, Nancy had heard a gunshot. Jack had shot Joe. 

Closing her eyes, Nancy could see the blood pouring out of Joe’s shoulder, soaking his shirt. The police had arrived on the scene quickly, taking Jack away.  
“Joe? Joe, please stay with us. Please be alright.” Nancy could remember Frank’s desperate cries. He’d held his brother in his arms, crying. Nancy had never seen Frank cry before. 

She opened her eyes. The hospital was like any other: Clean, busy, and blindingly white. 

“Do you really think he’ll be ok?” Frank asked. Nancy turned to him.  
“Yes. I do. The doctors here are top-notch. They know what they’re doing. They’ll save him.”  
Frank buried his face into his hands. “I should have gone first. It should have been me.”  
“No!” Nancy said a little too loudly. “Frank, there’s no use saying things like that. It wouldn’t have mattered who went first. It was all Jack’s fault. He should never have shot Joe. It’s not your fault.”  
Nancy wrapped her hand around Frank’s knee. He felt cold through his trousers. “Trust me. The only person responsible for this is in jail.”  
Frank nodded once more. His face now looked vacant. Nancy sat back in the plastic chair. All there was to do was to wait. 

“Frank Hardy?”  
Frank stood up when a doctor approached them. “Yes?”  
The doctor’s face was solemn, unreadable. Nancy felt her heart beating wildly against her rib cage.  
“I’m so sorry. Your brother passed away. While we tried to stop the blood flow, he had lost too much already by the time he came in here. The bullet had served a major artery.”  
“No.” Frank said. Nancy gasped, her hands flying to her face.  
“Can I see him?” The doctor nodded, leading Frank and Nancy to the room where Joe laid. 

Frank went in first. He spent a long time in there with Joe. Nancy could hear him murmuring quietly to his younger brother. 

After Frank came out, Nancy asked if she too could see Joe one last time.  
The room was still. Joe laid on the bed. Nancy could see his face was pale. It was clear that Joe was gone.  
“Oh Joe.” Nancy whispered. “I’m going to miss you so much.” She felt tears slide down her face.  
Nancy rejoined Frank outside the room.  
“I’m so sorry, Frank.” Nancy held Frank’s head against her. He wept noisily. 

All around them, people moved. Some finding joy in new life being born, some like Frank experiencing the blackness of death. Nancy held Frank for a long time before Mr and Mrs Hardy arrived, taking their only son in their arms. Nancy watched with tears in her eyes as the family wept together.

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a prompt from a user on tumblr. The prompt was "Joe is severely injured while he, Frank, and Nancy are hunting down a murderer and Frank and Nancy are talking in the hospital, waiting"


End file.
